It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by the many costly ways to promote your venue, but it’s actually quite simple and budget-friendly (mostly free!) to gain attraction and grow your business in today’s digital age.

Over 75% of couples are using social media as inspiration when planning their wedding(2020 WeddingWire Newlywed Report), so you can bet that taking the social media avenue will capture many eyes, but how can you keep their interest and what should or shouldn’t you spend your efforts on? We know your time is valuable so here’s 5 steps you can take to effectively market your venue:

1. Use social media often

If you haven’t already, set up accounts across the many platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. However, it’s not sufficient anymore to only create a business page on Facebook or post some pictures on Instagram--consistency is key! Gone is the stigma that it’s not cool to post daily because people like to keep up and they like to see what’s happening around the venue.

Post engaging content and videos like construction improvements, crop harvesting, or behind the scenes of wedding days that will entice your audience to interact with you and in turn, your venue will more likely show up on their timeline for others to see.

2. Collaborate with vendors

Win-win-win for the vendors, couples, and you! It is crucial to form good relationships with local vendors because it gives you more advocates who can recommend you to planners and engaged couples, and vice versa. Couples will also appreciate guidance in knowing which vendors have worked well with you in the past.

With social media, collaboration can be as easy as tagging vendors when you post photos from a wedding event. Crediting photographers or the vendors involved is huge because those businesses want to be recognized, and they’ll likely repost and tag you back.

Here’s what you can do across the different social media platforms:

• Facebook: repost and share partnerships on your own page. For example, introduce yourself to the photographer on the wedding day and get their Facebook page so you can look out for shots and share them on your Facebook.
• Instagram: tag vendor’s accounts in photos so couples searching through vendors can come across your venue. Search through your venue’s location tag to find relevant posts and interact or repost.
• Blog: increase links to your website or your Weven storefront. If you have your own blog or have relationships with vendors who blog, this is helpful in increasing site traffic and SEO (search engine optimization).

3. Give virtual tours

Everyone appreciates the ability to browse their options online, especially with COVID, so it’s helpful to give virtual tours and show videos of areas throughout your venue. It’s a 24/7 access to your property via any device, but you can curate the experience. The virtual tour phases out less interested clients sooner and opens the floor for more meaningful interactions during the in-person tours. It’ll also help non-locals plan.

Given that wedding venue tours are still a new concept, staying ahead of the curve will make your venue stand out, indicate that you care about your venue, and leave a lasting impression. It doesn’t have to be professionally done, but we recommend it if you have the budget. Alternatively, you can go live on instagram and save that on IGTV and already, that can be a huge asset and differentiator from other venues.

4. Keep an updated website

Maintaining a good website may seem intimidating, but it’s extremely important for you to have an attractive, accurate, and easy-to-navigate one. Nowadays, there’s no need to hire a team because you can use tools like Wix.com to easily make websites that look great (plus, it’s free to use unless you want a personalized domain). When designing your website, make sure you include lots of quality pictures, CTAs (call to action) like “schedule a tour” or “find out more”, and up-to-date contact information. Colors and fonts should also be easy to read.

In addition to your personal website, make sure you pay attention to your Weven storefront! Enhance your venue's page by incorporating key details from amenities to accommodations and everything in between. Take advantage of the conveniently organized page to really taut all your venue has to offer and cover off on everything couples need when searching for a nontraditional wedding venue in our marketplace!

Be sure to connect your website to your Weven storefront- as they work as a wonderful complement to each other. For a seamless transition, embed our Weven lead form and badge right into your website! Overall, you want to create an effortless experience for users to get to know your venue and your values.

5. Engage with your audience and community

Don’t forget to engage with other people’s accounts! Whether it’s on Facebook or Instagram, when you comment under someone’s post, you’re increasing the likelihood of being seen by others. The faster you respond, the more you’ll be seen so consider turning on notifications for accounts you want to interact with so you never miss their posts. Developing and maintaining relationships with vendors and couples is key to boosting your own relevance in their communities.

And engagement means more than liking a post--it’s about leaving meaningful comments with not just emojis, but also preferably over 3 words. It makes you appear approachable so keep your methods of communication like Instagram DMs open because you want to make it easy for people to get in touch with you.

Play smart. It can be difficult to choose what to allocate your time and resources to, but these 5 strategies are highly beneficial to boosting relevancy for your venue if you’re able to spend the extra energy. Plus, all the options are free or have free alternatives thanks to the advancement of social media and technology!

If you’re looking for successful ways to use social media specifically, check out this blog post on How to use Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to your Venue's Benefit!